Several members of the Dalit community staged a road blockade after alleging that upper caste men stopped them from performing the last rites of a Dalit youth on government land in a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district.

According to the police, the incident occurred in Leelda village.

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The deceased, Jagdish Jatav, a resident of Leelda village, had been working in a private job in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and died in a road accident there.

His body was brought back to the village today, and his family members, along with community members, were taking it for cremation on government land.

However, they alleged that members of the Rawat upper caste had encroached upon that land and prevented them from performing the last rites.

This led to a heated argument, which escalated into clashes, with both sides reportedly pelting stones at each other. In protest, members of the Jatav community blocked the highway.

Upon receiving information, police and district administration officials rushed to the village and managed to pacify the protesters.

Subsequently, the youth’s last rites were performed.

Sources said the Jatav community’s original cremation ground had been acquired by the Railways for a project, and the government had allotted them an alternative plot of land.

However, some members of the Rawat community had allegedly encroached upon this land, leading to the dispute.

Upon learning of the incident, Congress MLA Mukesh Malhotra reached the spot and spoke with the Superintendent of Police and the District Collector to help resolve the matter.

Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Jitu Patwari also condemned the incident, alleging that Dalits and backward classes were facing increasing harassment in the state.